The Little Lecture
by ironbadass
Summary: Hotch wants Reid to do a lecture on geographical profiling in front of a criminology class and has to convince the genius to do so.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

Yawning, Reid flung his messenger bag over his chair and sat down at his desk in the BAU's bullpen.

"Good morning Pretty Boy. Didn't sleep too well I see?" Morgan joked, ruffling Spencer's hair.

Spencer slapped his hand away; "I'm okay. I just need coffee." The corner of his mouth curved up in a bit of a smirk and he stood up to get a mug of mediocre coffee.

He put in some extra sugar and took a few sips immediately, burning his tongue. Back at his desk, the set the mug down and started looking through a case file.

"Reid," It suddenly sounded through the bullpen. "Can you come to my office, please?"

It was Hotch's voice.

Reid nodded, quickly took another sip of his coffee and rushed to his boss' office, making sure he didn't keep him waiting.

"Take a seat." Hotch demanded, following Reid with his eyes as they both sat down.

"I just got a call from the president of George Washington University." Hotch started, "They want the BAU to lecture at their Criminology department tomorrow."

Reid raised his eyebrow in confusion "Well, that sounds great, but what do you need to talk to me about then?"

"Well, they asked for a lecture specifically on geographical profiling and there's no-one in the team that's a better geographical profiler than you."

Instead of feeling flattered, as he usually would when Hotch complimented him, he felt sheer terror "They want me to lecture _alone_?"

"It's only one lecture." Hotch tried to calm him but Reid started panicking.

"Did you confirm it already? You can't put me in front of an entire criminology class on my own! I barely differ in age with these people."

"Calm down, Reid." Hotch assured. "I indeed confirmed that the BAU would do the lecture, but I didn't say _who_ would do it. All I am saying is that I would greatly appreciate it if you were able to do it."

Reid inhaled deeply, sighing. How could he say no to Aaron Hotchner? Not only was he his boss; he was more than that to him.

"Can you at least be there when I lecture, for the mental support?" Reid begged. Hotch shook his head."I'm sorry, Reid, but the lecture is tomorrow and I got a pile of case files to work through." he sighed.

"… So can I count on you?" Hotch asked, looking hopefully at his younger subordinate.

"I suppose." Reid murmured.

"Thank you, Spencer." Hotch smiled sheepishly, putting a hand on the genius' shoulder.

The fact that Hotch called him Spencer for the first time that month made him feel at ease. He was still nervous for tomorrow, but he knew the subject and he could talk about geographical profiling for two days straight if he had to. Presenting it in front of a crowd was just something that made Reid's palms sweat.

"You will do fine, I promise." Hotch mentioned, patting his shoulder another time before pulling away.

Reid stood up, gave Hotch an unsure half-smile and left, their eyes meeting one more time before exiting the office.

**A/N: I know the first chapter is quite short but it's meant as kind of an introduction to the story. Let me know what you think so far! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Despite his lecture at 3 pm, Spencer was called in early to analyze a small pile of case files and find similarities between them. It didn't take long for him to sit bored at his desk; being able to read 20,000 words per minute, he had worked through the files in ten minutes and found a few minor similarities. Bored was perhaps the wrong way to put it, because he was nervously turning around in his chair, looking at his watch every 45 seconds.

"Hey boy wonder!" Garcia greeted him. "You look stressed. Is everything okay up there?" she pointed at his forehead with a loving smile.

"Because of Hotch, I will be lecturing at George Washington University in... ninety-five minutes. " He looked at his watch again, frowning.

"Ahwww!" Garcia grinned, "and you're nervous?"

"Does it look like that?" Spencer asked cynically.

Penelope looked him in the eyes. "You'll do great, Spencer, I just know."

"Well, thank you anyway…" Spencer responded, curving in his lips and giving her an uncertain smile.

As Garcia left, he stood up and walked towards Hotch's office. He suddenly felt more nervous than before. Before he could change his mind and turn around, he knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

"Come in." Hotch spoke. His voice sounded official.

Reid entered the office, lingering in the doorway for a little bit.

"Oh, hey Reid." Hotch's intonation changed to softer; more relaxed.

"I got to go." Spencer whispered, loud enough for Hotch to hear it from the doorway.

"Okay, good luck." Hotch smiled, "Let me know how it went, okay?"

"I will," Spencer sighed. "Good luck with the case files."

Hotch turned his head towards the towering pile of files "Thank you." He laughed.

Reid gave him one of his awkward waves and stumbled out of the office.

"Good luck, kid." Rossi petted Spencer's shoulder as he walked by.

"Uh, thanks." Spencer repeated awkwardly, rushing out of the FBI headquarters.

Rossi smiled, amused, and proceeded to get himself a cup of steaming hot but watered down coffee.

With the cup in his hand, he went back into the bullpen. He passed Hotch's office and couldn't help peeking through the blinds.

Hotch was sitting behind his desk with his head in his hands, sighing deeply.

Rossi put his cup on his desk in the bullpen and walked back towards to door. He hesitated slightly, inhaling, and knocked firmly, three times. He could hear Hotch move a few files and then spoke in his Hotchner manner; "Come in."

Rossi opened the door. Hotch was pretending to read through a file.

"I hope I'm not disturbing." Rossi asked, not planning on leaving if he was.

"Not at all," Hotch put the file aside. "What is the matter?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, Aaron."

Hotch brushed it off. "It's nothing. I'm just busy with these files."

Rossi raised his eyebrow. "Is it Spencer?"

Hotch looked up, surprised. "Why would this be about him?"

"I overheard you talking about his lecture. He really wants you to be there, Aaron."

As soon as Hotch wanted to open his mouth and respond, Rossi interrupted him: "Let's skip the part where you deny everything that's going on between you and Spencer and get to the point. I've seen the way you look at him. I've seen him look at you the same way. You're just too damn stubborn to notice it!" Rossi nearly shouted.

Aaron was left baffled. Had it been _that_ obvious? He knew Rossi wouldn't believe him if he denied it. He sighed. "… Okay." He replied, looking up at Dave, "What do you want me to do then?"

"Go attend the boy's lecture!" Rossi exclaimed, "I will finish your paperwork, but only this time."

"Are you sure? I mean, this is not your responsibility." Hotch asked.

"Just _go_." Rossie emphasized, making sure Hotch wouldn't ask a second time. "Make it count."

Hotch stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Thank you, Dave. I will."

He rushed out of the office, leaving behind a satisfied Rossi.

**A/N: I got a question from ProfilersInACastle whether Hotch and Reid's relationship is secret or not. As of now, Hotch and Reid are not in an official relationship, but Rossi noticed that both like each other a lot; they're just too stubborn to see it. Also, Rossi is the only one in the team who knows that the two have feelings for each other and supports it fully.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

As Spencer entered the George Washington University, he looked around cautiously. Despite his effort, he bumped into several people, even getting cursed at once. Not many students seemed to notice that he wasn't actually a student at the university.

"Hello doctor Reid" a voice behind him began.

Spencer nearly jumped and looked over of his shoulder. It was the university's president. He had gray hair. Some people would call it silver. Spencer preferred just to call it gray. "You're here for the lecture on geographical profiling, I understand?"

Spencer nodded, fear still present in his eyes.

"Follow me." The gray-haired man simply instructed.

Spencer followed the man through the hallway, turning left a couple of times before reaching the classroom. It was empty, but it wouldn't be in fifteen minutes. It wasn't exactly a classroom; it was bigger. It must've had at least 150 chairs, rising up, making Spencer feel small.

"The lecture starts in fifteen minutes. You have until then to prepare. Do you need to use the projector?"

"Uh, no. All I need is a board to write on."

With all the modern technology available, the man was surprised that Spencer didn't need anything. He shrugged it off and disappeared.

####

Hotch sat in his car, honking furiously at the car in front of him. Out of frustration, he had taken off his suit jacket and thrown it on the back seat. It had been his third red light and the ancient woman in the car before him wouldn't hurry up. He was determined to make it to Spencer's lecture and if that involved honking angrily at old women who obviously lost their ability to drive about forty years ago, so be it.

The traffic light turned green and he raced past the woman. He looked at the little digital clock on his dashboard; it wouldn't take him longer than ten minutes to reach the university.

He put the pedal to the metal.

####

Slowly, the room started filling up with students. Some of them carrying laptops, some pen and paper. They all had something in common: they all gave Spencer weird looks. This guy barely finished university himself, they must've thought. After about five minutes, the doors closed and Spencer glanced around. 98 chairs were taken by the several criminology student, opening laptops or waiting to use their writing equipment. They were second year students and he himself practically had to introduce the topic entirely; it hadn't been a subject before.

Awkwardly, Spencer tried to attract attention. "Uh. Hey guys. I'm doctor Spencer Reid and I'm supervisory special agent for the FBI's behavioral analysis unit." He looked around. "I'm here today to introduce the topic 'geographical profiling' and teach you something more about this method of criminal investigation." He tried to loosen up. "Does anybody know the goal of geographical profiling?" It remained quiet. Suddenly, a boy shouted "To locate a killer." Spencer smiled. He was starting to get in his element "Indeed! At the BAU, we like to call these killers 'Unsubs'. Unknown Subjects." He could hear fingers going over keyboard and students putting their pens to paper. "Also, these Unsubs are mainly serial killers: people who have committed three or more murders. This is because serial killers leave more victims, thus leave more data which can be used for a better geographical profile, usually showing a crime pattern. Let me show you an example of a geographical profile," Reid suggested enthusiastically as he started drawing.

####

Finally, Hotch had found a parking spot and now paced towards the entrance of the big university building. He had no clue as to where the lecture was held. He walked in and looked at one of the screens in the main hall. Nothing. He sighed and rushed down the hallway. He passed someone who looked older than the normal university student.

"Excuse me" he stopped the man. "Do you know where the criminology lectures are held today?"

The man gave him a suspicious look when he didn't recognize him. "Why exactly is that of importance to you?"

Hotch realized he wasn't looking official enough and straightened his posture, taking out his badge. "FBI. My colleague is giving the lecture."

The man simply nodded and pointed him towards the classroom. It was twice to the left and then the door to his right. He tucked away his badge and followed the instructions.

It were double doors, leading to the back of the lecture room. Maybe if he quietly opened it, he could sit down without disturbing Spencer.

He pushed on the door handle and quietly opened the door. He put only his head through the doorway to see if Spencer had noticed. The genius, however, had his back towards the door, finishing a sketch of a geographical profile. He quickly entered and sat down in the back row.

"There are multiple factors we take in consideration when creating a geographical profile, such as crime locations, routine activities of the victims, roads and highways and bus stops and train stations."

Hotch smiled; Spencer didn't seem so nervous.

"Now, if we make this a raster image," he started drawing line across the sketch "We can figure out where the criminal lives with things as simple as mathematics! There is a formula created especially for this purpose." He started writing down the extensive formula, containing mostly letters. "Does anyone know what this formula is called?"

Reid gave the audience a hopeful look. Wanting to tease Spencer a little, Hotch shouted, trying to slightly change the tone of his voice "Rossmo's formula." Spencer raised his eyebrows in surprise, trying to see who was answering but failing because of the many faces blocking the view on the last row.

"That's indeed correct." Spencer proceeded, cautiously glancing over the last row. He had sworn he recognized the voice. "This formula was created by criminologist Kim Rossmo and has since been used in forensic science." He proceeded to repeat most of what he'd already said. He finished with a thanking the class for being great listeners and hoping he had informed them well enough on the subject for an introduction. He got an applause, something that made him smile broadly. Aaron might've been the one that clapped the hardest, but that didn't matter.

The students started getting up, packing their stuff. As they walked past Hotch, several gave him a confused look. He waited until everyone left. Spencer was still wiping the board, his back to the doors.

"Great lecture, Spencer." It suddenly echoed through the room.

Spencer instantly stopped wiping the board, turning around in shock. "… Aaron!" he exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. "You made it!"

"I did." He smiled sheepishly, walking down the shallow stairs towards Spencer.

"It went so well! I was really nervous at first but people didn't laugh at me!" He seemed genuinely surprised that these kids hadn't made fun of him. It was really sad, in a way.

"I'm very proud of you, Spencer." Aaron pointed out, putting an arm around his genius' shoulder.

"Thanks, Hotch." Spencer smiled, patting his boss' back.

"So, shall we celebrate? Coffee on me, no bad BAU-type this time."

"I could use some good coffee, mister 'Rossmo's formula.'"

"What?! It was the right answer!"

Spencer rolled his eyes, laughing. "Of course, Aaron. Of course."


End file.
